Are you Ready to Progress in Your Career?

Taking on more responsibilities at work will develop your skills, challenge your abilities and get you recognition from your employer. Like everything in life, you cannot sit around and wait for opportunities to come to you. If you want to progress in your career, you will have to actively seek out opportunities.

Here are 5 ways to show your employer that you are ready for the next step to progress in your career.

Show an interest in the industry

An employer will want to know that you are interested in the company and you are not just at work to pay the bills. Keep up to date with the industry insights and show an interest in the company’s performance. Know what trends and technologies may affect your role or industry and suggest new projects to your boss from your learnings. Initiate conversations with your employer that will give you a chance to discuss these topics.

Learn new skills

When you take on a new responsibility or role, you will learn new skills. Why not get a head start by learning a few new skills beforehand? When you approach your employer, you can let them know that you have been upskilling yourself in a particular area and want to take on new responsibilities so you can put these new skills into practice.

Ask others if they need help

Only do this if you have your work load under control – you do not want to be neglecting your responsibilities for ones you find more interesting. Ask your co-workers if they have any tasks that need doing and would they mind delegating. Keep your manager updated so there will be no confusion over who takes the credit for the work.

Demonstrate that you are a good manager

Managerial skills are highly desirable and once you have obtained them, you are in a much stronger position to be given more responsibilities. Volunteer to lead projects or mentor any new staff. Ask to attend any leadership training programmes.
Proving that you are a great choice for developing your career with your company does not happen overnight. You need to show your employer that you are committed and take every task seriously.

Act like a leader

Show initiative and act like a leader. Leadership does not mean going around telling people what to do, but looking for new ways to improve processes and work productivity. If you complete a piece of work, submit it with a report of your findings. During meetings, initiate topics that you feel need to be addressed and provide a solution. Prepare notes for your manager before a big meeting or offer to oversee a new project. Initiative and eagerness will show to your employer that you are ready for a new challenge.

As previously mentioned, you do not succeed by waiting for opportunities to come to you, you need to ask for them to progress in your career. This is particularly true of larger companies. Schedule a meeting with your employer and let them know that you are really for the next step. Bring evidence to support what you have contributed beyond your description and have a clear direction of where you want your new responsibilities to take you.